The debate on President Goodluck Jonathan’s political future has put the country on the tenterhooks as the debate for and against the principle of zoning put in place by the ruling People’s Democratic Party has polarized the country along North-South divide. In this interview with Vanguard, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai gives a deep insight into the genesis of the controversy. Excerpts :

Why is this debate on where the presidency should go rather than the competence and ability to render services from the presidency?

The debate is brought about by the dishonesty, and insincerity of some people in the political class. The rotation and zoning was first introduced in the Nigerian politics officially in 1978/79 when National Movement transforms into the defunct National Party of Nigeria.

NPN adopted Zoning and rotation between the North and the South and agreed that each side would hold power for two consecutive terms. It was on the basis of that the former President Shehu Aliyu Usman Shagari was elected and it was on the basis too that the late Chief Meredith Adisa Akinloye from the South, became Chairman of the party.

Dr. Alex Ekweme became the Vice President of Shagari from the South -East, Chief Joseph Wayas from South-South became the Senate President. The agreement was that after the second term of the Shagari administration, power will move to the South and they will decide who will be the flag bearer of the party.

In respect of the presidential candidate, the North was asked to produce three candidates, I was a delegate to that meeting.

We conducted the primary to selected three candidates, unfortunately the three front runners were all Muslims, but we felt that since there were people like Chief J. S. Tarka among those who contested it will be unfair to take the list of the three Muslims all together to the South, so it was agreed that the six candidates should be forwarded to the convention.

This was how Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Maitama Sule, Olusola Saraki, Joseph S Tarka, Adamu Ciroma and Iya Abubakar came to vie for the position.

The convention eventually voted for Shagari, and that was the beginning of the official adaptation of zoning, and rotation in the history of Nigerian politics.

The issues of zoning and rotation were suspended until General Sani Abacha organized Constitutional Conference in 1994/95. During the conference, Southern delegates led by Dr Alex Ifeanyi Ekweme, and Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu insisted that the conference should adopt zoning and rotation, and entrench it in the constitution.

The Northern delegates declared that they had no objection to the question of zoning in principle but they felt that in the interest of the future it should not be entrenched in the constitution because it be will difficult to amend it when the country decides that it is no longer interested in zoning and rotation.

The Chairman of the conference, Justice Karibi Whyte decided to set up a special committee of 37 made up of equal numbers of delegates from North and South ,and I happened to be a member of that committee, Late General Yar Adua, Adamu Chiroma, Lawal Kaita, Ismaila Isa Funtua , Emir of Ningi, one traditional ruler from Rivers, Osile of Abeokuta, were all members of that committee.

We went in to slug it out and eventually the Emir of Ningi declared that it will be a shame that the committee refused to agree and decided that the royal fathers put their heads together and come up with resolution that zoning and rotation should be entrenched in the constitution and it should be done between North and South and eventually everybody agreed out of respect to the royal fathers.

The Southern Delegates insisted that there should be 6 zones, that is 3 zones from the North and 3 zones from the South so that when power is going to rotate it will not only between North and South; it will be among the six geo-political zones.

It was part of the recommendation submitted to General Sani Abacha and he adopted it, but went ahead to modify it against our recommendation for one vice president which he change to accommodate two Vice Presidents, that is, one from the zone where the President comes from and the other zone out side the incumbent president.

So that in event of death of the president the Vice President from his zone will automatically takes over and we all agreed to that.

When General Sani Abacha came to promulgate the constitution in 1995 he inserted in addition the office of Prime Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister so that if you add up the principal officers you end up having key positions shared among the six zones, and that was adopted.

Unfortunately for us when the General died, General Abdulsalam who succeeded him appointed Justice Niki Tobi to review the constitution for its own reasons, and recommended that all the stabilization recommendation be dropped and it was dropped.

When the G34 transform into PDP, they revisited the idea, adopted it but at the time I was a founding father of APP. We were faced with 12 candidates at that time, 10 of them were from the South; they included Dr Joseph Wayas, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyaywu, Rufus Ada George.

We then felt that if we don’t adopt zoning we will loose the support of heavy weight from the South and so we were forced to agree that northerner should not vie for the presidency of APP, because the PDP had already chosen their standard bearer from the South; that was how APP settled for Chief Ogbonanya Onu as our presidential candidate.

For the purpose of defeating PDP at the poll we decided to from an electoral alliance and ceded the presidency to South-West and the dominant party in that region adopted Olu Falae for the joint ticket with Shinkafi as a running mate.

I mean this is basically implying that there will be rigging all throught out Nigerias future elections with Zoning.Its like the Elite esp North are going through all these loops because they are not doing the right thing, If there is Federalism and free elections- All this Zoning BS will not be needed.

Having a president from your region is nothing, IF Jonathan becomes president and doesnt not implement true federalism he is a FOOLISH person.

The Yoruba boycotted Abacha conference, so zoning does not affect us. Abacha hand picked people to the conference. Is like if Jonathan now hand pick northerner to claim the north can not contest. Would that be fair. NO. So zoning is not fair because the Yoruba boycotted the conference.

So it making zonning illegal. Any nigeria can contest for elected office. On the issue if a minority can not get political power without zone, that is not correct.

The problem with the system. It is men who never did anything as governors of state that want power. They do not justify, why they should be voted by people.

Governors steal money in Nigeria, and have nothing to show for it and expect to be president. Ask anybody who want to be president, what did you do as governor. And post it online for people to see. nothing.

@sjeezy8 That is exactly the point. This man and his group of elites are bereft of vision. The only thing they see with those bright eyes is power for themselves - no thoughts about the people, the future, greatness of nation and individual. Completely static, they see us doing the same thing over the next aeon years. Not only do they plan accordingly, they put in place structures that ensure we never move forward.

See how they are all coming out of the woodworks straining neck and mouth muscles over zoning. Where were they when Yar'adua took the nation hostage and put this so-called northern elite to global shame? Where were they when Nigeria was almost drawn into war over the actions of someone who came from the north? Look at how awake they are over zoning and the presidency - yet we know they speak only for themselves and their pockets, not the suffering masses of the north.

The fact is that they are not that smart. Otherwise, how could OBJ have single-handedly imposed a sick man on them. That lack of smartness originates from their selfish pursuit of closeness to the corridors of power. Look at who they are presenting to Nigerians, even after all the fracas we 've been through since 1993 - ibb. How smart can they be? They are not smart, but they know Nigerians are scared - that is all they 've got. The sooner Nigerians call their bluff the better - we can't let this continue any longer!

sjeezy8:

All this Zoning talk is disgusting and not needed.

I mean this is basically implying that there will be rigging all throught out Nigerias future elections with Zoning.Its like the Elite esp North are going through all these loops because they are not doing the right thing, If there is Federalism and free elections- All this Zoning BS will not be needed.

Having a president from your region is nothing, IF Jonathan becomes president and doesnt not implement true federalism he is a FOOLISH person.

The Yoruba boycotted Abacha conference, so zoning does not affect us. Abacha hand picked people to the conference. Is like if Jonathan now hand pick northerner to claim the north can not contest. Would that be fair. NO. So zoning is not fair because the Yoruba boycotted the conference.

So it making zonning illegal. Any nigeria can contest for elected office. On the issue if a minority can not get political power without zone, that is not correct.

The problem with the system. It is men who never did anything as governors of state that want power. They do not justify, why they should be voted by people. Governors steal money in Nigeria, and have nothing to show for it and expect to be president. Ask anybody who want to be president, what did you do as governor. And post it online for people to see. nothing.